advantages of java?

I think both python and java are cool languages. Python has certain advantages.

My impression (which may be wrong given how lively the user contributions are for python) is that these are some advantages that java has over python:

the tokenized code (I forget the python term for this) is not portable from one implementation to another

the tokenized code can not be compiled (unlike java)

the window system support is not window system independent (last I checked)

although python has socket support, it doesn't have as broad a range of protocol support as java

Please let me know if I got it wrong, or the difference is not as big as I think, or whatever.

Thanks!

Neil

Sun, 08 Feb 1998 03:00:00 GMT

Christopher Petril#2 / 3

advantages of java?

: My impression (which may be wrong given how lively the user : contributions are for python) is that these are some advantages : that java has over python:

: the tokenized code (I forget the python term for this) is not : portable from one implementation to another

I can't answer this, but certainly there's nothing stopping it.

: the window system support is not window system independent (last I : checked)

Tk is relatively independent. I've seen implementations on various platforms that are not X windows based.

: although python has socket support, it doesn't have as broad a range : of protocol support as java

This is mearly pre-written stuff. Support for sockets gives you access to almost everything, someone simply needs to write it.

: Please let me know if I got it wrong, or the difference is not as big : as I think, or whatever.

Here's my $3 (inflation you know! :-):

I've looked and worked with both Java and Python, and from an elegance point of view, I find Python a much nicer language. Java, from my view, is simply C++ in "sheep's clothing" and is hardly a new idea. In looking at other odd languages that Sun has (including SYMBel), I think it's all very C centric, with the problems that involves. Python is much more object-driven than Java in my mind, and seems to have cleaned up a lot of the "junk" that many other languages have inherited.

Chris --

| `Television is bubble-gum for the mind.' --- Frank Lloyd Wright

Sun, 08 Feb 1998 03:00:00 GMT

Fredrik Lund#3 / 3

advantages of java?

Quote:

> the tokenized code (I forget the python term for this) is not > portable from one implementation to another

Wrong.

Quote:

> the tokenized code can not be compiled (unlike java)

Well, since Python relies heavily on dynamic typing, dynamic name resolution and a lot of other neat dynamic things, I don't really see that one can gain a lot from compiling it. And if you just want a single file to distribute, just freeze your script...

Quote:

> the window system support is not window system independent (last I > checked)

Agree, but things are on their way... wxPython is one good example.

Quote:

> although python has socket support, it doesn't have as broad a range > of protocol support as java

Don't really know what you mean with protocols here... The urllib, socketserver and http server stuff are pretty complete...

---

IMHO, there's plenty of room in a programmer's toolbox for both these languages (and several others :-). There's no such thing as the best language for everything (any C++ programmer that disagree should read Stroustrup's book on the evolution of his language).

But in the cases where I use Python today, I don't think anything can beat it!